California Senate Bill SB 9 is a new rule that was signed on September 16, 2021, and started working on January 1, 2022. This rule lets people turn one house on a piece of land into up to four houses. This means you can either split your yard into two parts and build more homes or change your single-family home into a duplex. This can only happen in city areas, not on farmland or in special places like historic neighborhoods. It’s a way to help make more homes available for people to live in. Here’s how it works:
1. If there’s a single-family home, this law allows it to be turned into two homes, called duplexes. It also lets you split your yard into two parts, so you can build two more homes on the new part.
2. Not every place is allowed. The new homes can only be built in city or town areas, not on farmland, in places that flood often, or in areas that are prone to fires. Also, you can’t do this in historic neighborhoods where old buildings are protected.
3. If you decide to split your yard, you must live in one of the homes for at least three years after doing so.
4. To split your yard into two parts, each part must be at least 1,200 square feet. When you split your yard, the two new parts must be about the same size, but one part can’t be less than 40% of the original yard size.
5. You can’t knock down or change homes that are affordable or have people renting them. The new homes must be in an area meant for single-family homes and can’t be on land that has historical significance.
6. If you want to build two homes on a single-family home lot, the same rules about not changing affordable homes or homes with renters apply. You also can’t tear down more than a quarter of the walls of an existing home unless the local rules say you can or if no one has rented there in the last three years.
7. Before you can officially split your yard, you need a special certificate called a “Certificate of Compliance.” This certificate is like a stamp of approval from the Planning Department saying everything is done according to SB 9 rules.
Source: California Title Company
To learn more about California Senate Bill SB 9, click here.
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Shirin Rezania Ramos | 858.345.0685 | www.shirinramos.com | Compass, DRE 0203379
